George...

[WarMonger]

Originally Posted by 69gmcc10

Ok, I did sneak home early on wed and while the sky was clear and the temp was warm and got the rear end painted. Sorry no picture it came out like crap (the photo not the paint). But do have other pictures for everyone.

So I got the rebuilt rear end back from the shop and all painted so this weekend was when everything got together and became more than just a pile of parts my wife rolled her eyes at in the garage. I hope you enjoy the photos.

From this picture you can see that I flipped the trailing arm mounts.

Great build. I have a question for you. I'm taking my blazer from leafs to trailing arms. the only part I'm missing is the upper spring perch mount/upper shock mount. Can you tell me where you go yours from?

Thanks

Greg Honore

[69gmcc10]

Originally Posted by WarMonger

Great build. I have a question for you. I'm taking my blazer from leafs to trailing arms. the only part I'm missing is the upper spring perch mount/upper shock mount. Can you tell me where you go yours from?

Thanks

Greg Honore

Greg,

Thanks for the interest in my build. If you look back on post 47 you will see that I sourced the shock and spring cross member from a guy on craigslist that had a few 67-72 parts for sale. He didn't have that part listed but I asked anyway and he happen to have a coil suspension truck bed trailer that was destined for scrap so for $40 he let me cut out the cross member. I have found that guys into old trucks are more than happy to see you parts or help you find them. I got my trailing arms from a friend of the guy who owns the bone yard and that guy has pointed me in the direction of other guys who have had parts for me.

locating the upper spring mount isn't difficult, it is directly in the middle of the bottom of the frame rail in line with the center of the reference oval on the side of the frame and if you wanted to make your own tubular cross member that would work just fine. The shocks are where it would get tricky at that point, but you could always get a set of no limits shock re-locators, not worry about that part and move forward with your build.

good luck!

[69gmcc10]

Finally got some time sit down and work on the assembly of the front end. I have painted a few parts with POR-15 and a semigloss black for a UV coat and am currently working on a few modifications to the crossmember and installing the arms on it. To start off I drilled a few holes on the front and rear lip of the crossmember to allow fore some drainage where moisture, dirt and oil like to build up. I hope it helps a little. I did not place it in the center of the member because there is a rosette weld in that location both front and rear. I trimmed off 2 tabs that were not deleted from the member that were used on the previous versions drum system and also increased the U bolt hole size to use the later and larger u blots found on 70s and 80s trucks. But the largest change to the crossmember itself was when I trimmed back the side gussets of the upper control arm mounting brackets.

In my attempt to increase the handling of the truck I could not mount the upper control arm cross shafts on the studs with out the bushings contacting the gusseting. I know that not having any shims be hind the shaft is probably not going to happen but, especially because all I am looking for is -.5* camber, but I don't want to take it to the alignment shop and have them tell me they cant get there, because there is no clearance to go further, "So, while I was at it," I trimmed them back very little, but just enough that the bushings don"t bump the gusset.

Real close fit, but no contact!

[69gmcc10]

Nothing like cutting up new parts!

These are moog 6452 springs , they are for a 70's c10. If you go by the numbers GM actually under sprung (used softer rate springs) the front end of these 1/2 ton trucks in the 60s, probably for a softer ride. The 6452 Spring is softer than the 6102 heavy duty spring, but more firm than the standard 6082 spring. Wit 1/2 a coil cut it should firm up my already slightly firmer than stock spring a little more for better handling and drop the front about 1 1/2", just enough to be suspicious.

Now I am fighting a crooked lower control arm, the cups on the end of the cross shaft are not aligned and not installing well. You can get one side installed, but the other is no good. Threads are also starting to strip out... What to do?!?

[69gmcc10]

I dont know how I did it, but I found time!!! I think it has to do with getting a underground sprinkler system installed in my yard. I have not watered much yet this year, but I never knew I could buy time! I think it is going to work out to 3 hours every other day in the swings of summer of time i will gain! why didnt I do it earlier? The only issue I have with it is the crew that installed it took my extension cord by accident, they are supposed to get it back to me soon.

So, on to trucks!!! I spent 12 hours in the garage saturday. I should have more to show for it but things weren't going my way with the assembly of the right lower control arm so I had to back track a little. As stated in the previous post the cross shaft would not install due to the cup mounting locations not lining up despite my best efforts. I just couldn't get the angle of the dangle correct, so in a fit of frustration I showed it what was what and stripped out the threads trying to force it to work. Yeah! that will show it!

So, I needed a new arm to install and the only other arm I had was on the front of George, so I had to preemptively rip off the front suspension of the truck to modify the lower control arm to match the others. I trimmed back the drip rails, clearanced the arm at the base so it would not contact the cross shaft mount when I re-indexed the the shaft for more caster, and pressed out the old ball joints. I then gave it a hot bath in industrial simple green (which is purple by the way) and let it sit for a few hours in the basement utility sink. About that time is when my wife decided to do laundry and in our house the washer drains into the sink... In my defense when you walk into the laundry room you stare at the sink... thank god she was watching TV when it started flooding the sink and she thought something sounded funny. She blamed it on pregnancy brain, I blame it on...well lets not dwell on that, she did let me spend 12 hours in the garage on Saturday.

Need less to say all I have to show for 12 hours is 2 necked frame rails painted black and a control arm that is now cleaned and painted. In an attempt to hide my laziness I did not POR15 this arm like the others and I am calling it a "test" to see how well the non POR15 arm holds up compared to the other (honestly, I just want the truck running soon and I didn't want to take the time to apply the POR15). Also, this arm was not as rusty as the others so I didn't know if it would stick as well without the etching solution I ran out of.

To be honest I am quite proud of the weekend progress because I did allot of other little things while I was in the garage and the next step is to install the crossmember and install the springs! I just need to order a few parts and then nothing but time and laziness will be holding me back from dropping the engine and trans in their rightful place.

[69gmcc10]

A couple quick pics and some explanations.

First, the lower control arm cross shaft I had re-indexed with holes that are 1/2", 3/4", and 1" further back than the stock locating hole to push the lower arm forward, increasing caster, and giving myself adjustability if needed. The stock alignment specs for these trucks are not up to modern standards and what is currently accepted as appropriate geometry, largely based on old technology like bias-ply tires and manual steering. I want my alignment specs to be -.5 degrees camber, 5.5 degrees caster, and the standard toe in. Other people that have done this have been having real good success with the 3/4" distance and I will be placing my arms there to start with. Sorry for the pic, the black part made the holes difficult to see and I could only get 3 holes in sight at any given time.

Second, the larger U-bolts are stock on 73 and up lower control arm cross shafts, which are the same diameter shaft as the 60-72 shafts. There are some stories on the forum about the smaller u-bolts snapping from age and fatigue over the years, so I decided go the safe rout and dill slightly larger holes in the crossmember and use the stronger/safer hardware. There is not a large difference in the diameters of the bolts, but it is noticeable.

[69gmcc10]

I got the 72 crossmember in place and all the holes lined up perfectly except for one. In my research preparing me for this I did find this would probably be an issue. The front lower bolt on the upper control arm mount was the only offender to an otherwise perfect bolt in. I have heard of people not using a bolt in that hole and not having any problems, but the obsessive in me said it would not be as strong and ridged without it, so I used a dremle tool to elongate the hole up and back so it would align with the nut that is fixed to the upper cross shaft mount.

In the process of elongating the hole you can clearly see that I let the Dremel run wild and gouge my newly painted frame rail twice....And I thought leaving the bolt out would bother me, at least this will be out of sight and eventually out of mind.

[69gmcc10]

Certainly out of sight!

-I no longer see the Dremel marks with theses Engine mounts in the way!

In order to strengthen the chassis a little (slight), have an engine mount that is "captured" even if it fails, and most importantly free up space for exhaust manifolds/headers, I went the rout of installing 73-87 engine mounts. Rumor has it that if you stick your tongue out and bight it just enough that 3 of the holes will line up In order for the mounts to fit/work, but to be honest the crossmember and frame rail need to have some holes added to them to have them fit as designed. The 67-72 engine mount holes are very close to working and if you use the 3 existing holes methods the mount doesn't lay flat on the crossmsmber, has a very small bind on it, and does not allow for any adjustability of the mount itself.

Existing holes on the top of the frame rail will allow you to bolt it up, but when you do the oblong holes on the mounts are fixed to the frame at the inner most points and the mounts cannot move fore or aft. When looking at the mount you notice that 3 holes are oblong, both uppers and the lower forward, and the lower rear is just a round hole. When you take the bolts off and set the mount in place it is clear to see that 2 holes line up perfect, the front upper (circled green in the pic) and lower rear (blue), the lowers round hole is complimented for adjustability with an oblong hole in the crossmember. This adjustability allows the mount to move forwards or backwards. Bolting up theses 2 holes, forward upper and rear lower, and sliding the mounts as far back as possible will give you a natural template to where the upper rear and lower front holes need to be drilled in the frame and crossmember (red circles). Making sure to be in the center of the top of the frame rail, mark the upper rear mounting point in the forward location of the oblong hole and do the same for the lower crossmember mount hole. Doing this will give all 4 holes the freedom to adjust the mount forward and backwards if needed and if so desired, get that engine as far back as possible using stock equipment.

In this pic you can clearly see where I located the drilled hole in relation to the mount's oblong hole on the lower crossmember when the mount is moved rearward as far as possible.

[69gmcc10]

I got the brakes all rebuilt and installed with some hawk HPS pads and I know how some people feel about painting your calipers bright annoying colors and I don't care what the detractors said! I couldn't miss the opportunity to bolt on 20 hp with flamboyant bright brake calipers! 20 hp is the correct amount of additional powers of horses, right? I have heard anywhere from 10-25 hp gains, but dyno results vary by application...

Honestly I was just tired of painting everything black and need a change. I think they look spiffy especially with the braided steel lines form Inline tube and it doesn't really matter because nobody is gonna see them behind my truck rallys.

Other than black caliper paint the store had either Red or Yellow and choices were made...

[Bubba4spd]

Nice work, looks good to me!

[skyjgmc]

Sub'd love these old GMC's!!

[69gmcc10]

With the addition of my little boy to my life time to work on the truck has been few and infrequent despite my best efforts. So, while I hold my son and bounce him up and down we look out the window into the back yard at the hood and fenders sitting under the car port and it calls to me. When I am having a particularly bad day, for what ever reason, my angel of a wife takes the kiddo and tells me to go do some work on it, relax, and come back in a better mood. It has only happened two or three time in the past 3 months, but it is crazy how fighting this old rusty truck on every bolt and screw puts me at ease. I usually spend most of the time cleaning up all the stuff around the truck that gets stacked around it, but work does get done!

George is back on his feet! May that be, pizza cutter tiptoes, but on the ground none the less! After he is up and running I will get some new rubber on the rallies before putting any real miles on it, but for now it allows me to roll it out into the driveway do do some work.

[NewType72]

Always enjoy having a roller it takes away a lot of stress when building anything. Keep up the great work and enjoy that little Bundle in life

[rusty76]

Cool truck I'm hitching a ride.

[69gmcc10]

Originally Posted by NewType72

Always enjoy having a roller it takes away a lot of stress when building anything. Keep up the great work and enjoy that little Bundle in life

Originally Posted by rusty76

Cool truck I'm hitching a ride.

Thanks for visiting guys, hope you enjoy.

[69gmcc10]

One project begets another... I needed to remove the bed of my pickup so I could install a 25 gallon 89 blazer tank, but the easiest way I could see doing that was to suspend it from the rafters of the garage roof. The only issue is that my house is made in the 50s, the garage was more of an after thought, codes were not as restrictive, and I only have 3 2x4's about 18' wide spanning the entire width of my 24' long garage. No wonder the ridge line has a saddle in it. So, I sistered some some 2x6 angled some reliefs in the ends, employed the help of my friend, grabbed my mini sledge and beat some rafters into place! I have not done the entire roof, but the back half is complete enough to hold the bed. I also installed some vertical supports to lift the roof back in place... gotta love doing work to do work.

Any way got the bed off and the suspension rolled out.

[69gmcc10]

I want to do things right and efficiently. Ever since I was young I haven't been one to dismiss why we do things, because sometimes "it is the right thing to do" is a perfect answer, but I often wonder if I am doing it right or if there is a better way to do it. I never really gave much regard to time because, "right is right no matter how long it takes," but with the addition of my Son to my other obligations, time is now a huge factor. So, I find myself realizing right and perfect are not as mutually exclusive as I previously believed, or at least not at this busy time in my life.

I got the gas tank roughed in, but before I can bolt it in for good and check it off the laundry list of things I need to do to get George back on the road, I need to get a few other things done like run fuel lines, paint the chassis and rear mount the battery... is it just me or does it seem like there is always just one more thing to do...

Went and picked up this little gem the other day with an engine leveler!!! I used it to take the cab off the frame so I can prep the chassis for some black enamel like the reset of the random frame paintings I have previously done. Hopefully I can get the engine in, fuel lines run and the cab back on before the the snow sticks on the ground...It lightly snowed here already today. **PANIC ENSUES!**

[69gmcc10]

Progress is being made!!! My wife can see the stress, fear, and anxiety on my face about the current state of disarray that is currently George and has allowed me to put some real hours in to the project. She says that getting George up and running is my version of nesting!?! Getting my little projects done... I told her, "it was a little late for nesting," and she replied with "I know! Right!!" I am not impressed!

So I got the entire day from 10:00-19:00 to get some work done without interruption... Well... 1 interruption, when my wife and kid came home and said hello real quick. I pulled the wiring harness off of the engine, pulled the radiator, unhooked the trans and fuel lines, and yarded the engine and trans out of the white truck and got it soaped up and power washed.

I am real happy that the wife did come by at the time she did, because I couldn't seem to hoist the engine and trans over the core support without bumping against the firewall and it would get wedged in the engine bay. My wife asked, "why don't you just cut that piece (core support) off and take the engine out?" I explained that I didn't want to be destructive and I wanted to preserve as much as possible. Her answer was, "its a parts truck and the part you bought it for is stuck in there, so get it out and move forward..." I wish she would have come out 40 minutes earlier. literally 3 minutes later it was sitting on pallets!

[gringoloco]

They know what they're talking about sometimes

[69gmcc10]

No snow that sticks yet!?! The gods are on my side! I got busy, but I did get the frame painted on what will probably be the last day above 70 degrees I will see for 6 months. My philosophy on painting the frame is to just hopefully slow the rust down and to make it a little pretty for a while. I start my chassis painting process with the wire wheel to knock all the rough stuff off, give it a good once over with a red scuffing pad to smooth it out and get some bite for the paint. I then rub it down with wax and greaser remover real good or until most of the color stops coming off on the rag, let it dry over night and then lay down several light to medium coats of semi gloss black enamel. There are some blemishes you can see if you look in the right spots, but it seems to come out good enough to meet my standards.

I also got the Dirty Dingo engine mounts on the engine and slid them as far forward as I could to get the engine as far back in the chassis as I could and torqued them down. That pesky compressor takes up allot of valuable real-estate on the block and George didn't come with it so who needs A/C anyway! ...Someday I am going to regret that statement...

[69gmcc10]

**Action Shot** of the newly acquired hoist and engine leveler doing it's thing!

-Yes my trans tail-shaft is waiving at you! I always duct tape a latex glove over the end of the trans to keep spills to a minimum. It usually works...usually...if you don't accidentally rupture the glove on something sharp...not that that ever happens...to me...or just recently...like last Monday or anything...stop judging me...

[69gmcc10]

The engine is bolted up and the cab is back on the truck!!! Snow be damned, i can now continue to do little projects on it snow or shine until the spring!!!

The gods were with me when I dropped the engine in. With the stands slightly forward form the rear and the conversion mounts pushed forward as far as they could go, the transmission bolted right up to the furthest rear existing mounting holes in the frame! I did not expect that and it certainly made the process move allot faster than I expected!

The engine is pushed back in the frame rails from where it used to be, way back! I didn't measure it, but from the original engine it must be somewhere between 2"-3" or so further back. if you look at post #117 you will see the harmonic balancer rests over the V in the front crossmember and now it is behind it a good bit. The axle center line is about even with the front exhaust port on the passenger side and the spark plug on the drivers side, did I say it was way back in the frame?

The clearance at the crossmember is ample with 1 5/8" space between the bottom of the front of the oil pan and the top of the crossmember. The truck oil pan only hangs about 1 1/4" below the bottom of the crossmember and since I am not slamming this truck it seems like plenty of room for what I am doing.

[69gmcc10]

The fitment when I added the cab is a little different story! The engine being so far back does pose a few issues. I left the truck manifolds on to see the fitment and the EGR mount rests on the engine stands, and seems to slightly point towards the frame, but if you have non EGR manifolds it seems that if you hold your tongue just right it could be made to work, but it would be close. On the drivers side, different story, the manifold collector flange rubs against the frame just sitting there. Because Trailblazer manifolds are so available and affordable I am just going to get a set of those. The other fitment issues are that the engine is back against firewall so far that the coil pack mount bolt in the rear passenger valve cover of the engine is touching the firewall and the pinch weld where the floor and firewall meet is resting on the transmission, it is not allot, maybe 1/2" of interference. I really don't want to move the engine forward because of the front/rear balance and if I move everything forward I will need to drill holes in the frame for the trans crosmember. I am thinking about modifying the lovely Dirty Dingo adapter mounts to lower the engine about 3/4"...But I am taking suggestions. Until I decide which way to jump I am going to work on the wiring harness.

[69gmcc10]

From an aesthetic point of view it does look like it belongs there.

Never mind the vac hose or the throttle pedal that wont work with the new setup...Those thinks will be taken care of before they are an issue.

[68Gold/white]

Look'n Good in the neighborhood!
Looking forward to some more "snow" pictures in near future!!!